Sunday, July 24, 2011

Laptop Sleeve: a tutorial

So when I decided to make a leather laptop sleeve, I knew the perfect complimentary color.

Back to school will be my reality in just a few short weeks. Since I bring my laptop with me everyday to class, I needed a good sturdy case to protect it from scratches and bumps. I documented my process in case you're needing one as well.

Materials:

Four 8" x 10" sheets of felt

1/2 yd. Leather (which I'm assuming is faux)

Button

2 + Embroidery floss

Embroidery Needle

Spray Adhesive (Not pictured above)

All of my supplies were purchased at Joann. You can find the leather by the yard in the upholstery section. 1/2 yard left me with plenty of extra material (although it needed to be this wide to be large enough for my sleeve).

You certainly don't have to have a mac to use this tutorial. You could likely make a sleeve like this for virtually any laptop. This tutorial could also be used to make a sleeve for your Ipad, Kindle, Nook, Ipod, Phone, etc.

Let's get started!

Tutorial:

Cut a piece of leather large enough to accommodate your laptop

Along the long side, cut so that there is about a 1" overhang of material on each side.

Use the extra material for the strap. My strap was about 19" x 1/4".

Use spray adhesive to adhere the felt to the backside of the leather.

Blanket stitch the edges (what will be the long side of the sleeve).

I referenced this video on how to blanket stitch:

Sew down one side of the sleeve (short side) with wrong sides together

I went with an exposed stitch because of the bulkiness of the fabric.

Now insert your laptop into the partially constructed sleeve and determine where your next stitch should be.

I used scotch tape to help with this step. Masking tape would really have been better though..

Stitch down the predetermined line. Insert laptop to be sure it's a snug fit and cut off the extra material.

Sew on your button

Cut a small triangle (base is about 1.5") from your extra leather material

Sew on the strap as shown below. Be sure that the strap fits around the button and off again with the laptop inside before making your stitches.

Cut off the extra strap material hanging from the bottom.

That's it! Pretty simple right? Even the blanket stitch was really easy and kind of fun.

I may have to try my hand at more embroidery in the future. It adds such a lovely touch.

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comments:

I have been loving that color too! It's so pretty! It gives you a warm and bright feeling...not dying heat like the summer but more like a fire flame...ha okay I'm done. You're laptop cover is UH-mazing! Great job!

I LOVE THIS! You're blog is just my life-saver for this christmas! This is a brilliant idea, and so easy to follow step-by-step. I do have a question though, if I can't find, or afford faux leather, what material should I use? e-mail me, gwenniholt@gmail.comThanks! :)

Sooo nice! Congratulations!I couldn't find leather to do one for me.. I got the felt only.. lets see if I will find it in a different place or end-up creating a new format!I ll post the link here, if I manage it!Thanks!Raquelcosturandocriatividade.blogspot.com

Wow, nice one. Your post really encourage me to make this amazing cover for my notebook. I have recently collect Louis Vuitton agenda PM notebook cover for me but now I also want to make this one. Its very cute.http://bit.ly/takashii

Hi,I have a question. I want to make this for my dad's laptop but I only have the measurements, so I am nervous about making it since I won't be able to test the size before I sew and cut everything! What are the dimensions of your Mac? That way I can compare them to the dimensions of my dad's computer and hopefully make the best decision about the measurements of the felt/leather! thanks.

Thanks so much for this tutorial! I made a version as an ipad case for my Dad as a fathers day gift. It turned out well and I think he is going to not even believe I made it! This was easy to follow and I really appreciated tips about where you got materials. Thank you : )

Thx for showing this! You would not believe that I just went to a local leather shop TODAY, and got a 12x18 inch peice of mustard yellow leather to use as a new cover (the actual leather cover) of a Bible I inherited from my Grandma! I also used this same spray adhesive to adhere the leather to the paper inside. I will be doing a post about it on my blog at www.asucculentlife.blogspot.com , as soon as I can. Hopefully by June 23. This is my fav color and I am looking for a perfect purse in mustard as well. Take care!Julie P.S. I hope you will do more embroidery in the future! For inspiration, google search FREE HAND EMBROIDERY PATTERNS, and there is so much fun out there!!!!!